FRA - Les Bleues announce preparation schedule

PARIS (EuroBasket Women/FIBA World Championship for Women) - The French women's basketball season is in full swing.

Some of the clubs are also taking aim at honors not only in the domestic LFB, but the EuroLeague Women and the EuroCup Women.

The team that remains at the front of everyone's thoughts when it comes to women's basketball, though, is the national side that captured a silver medal at the London Games.

Les Bleues, who are to be coached again by Pierre Vincent, will try to ride the momentum to a gold medal at the EuroBasket Women when they host the competition next June.

France won the gold as the EuroBasket Women hosts in 2001.

Even before then, the basketball public around the country will have a chance to see Celine Dumerc, the star of the Olympic team, and France in action.

The French Basketball Federation has announced the preparation schedule for the team.

After gathering at l'INSEP from 23 April to 2 May, Vincent's squad will have a short break before meeting up again in Lyon (9-19 May).

France will take on Italy in friendly games in Bourg en Bresse (18 May), Roanne (19 May) and Clermont Ferrand (20 May).

Another week of workouts in Lyon will follow before warm-up games against Belarus in Chalon-sur-Saône (30 May), Lithuania in Lyon (31 May) and Russia in Valence (1 June).

France will resume their practices in Evry 4-6 June before one last warm-up event, the Tournoi de l’EuroEssonne in Evry with friendly clashes against Canada (7 June), Turkey (8 June) and Spain (9 June).

The squad will finalize its preparations in Trélazé and remain there for its group games against Latvia (15 June), Serbia (16 June) and Great Britain (17 June).

The EuroBasket Women will serve as a qualifying event for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey.

FIBA